HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you enter them into the search window. If a compound term doesn’t appear in the drop-down list, try entering the term into the search window and then hit the search button (instead of the “enter” key). Alternatively, begin searches for compound terms with a quotation mark.

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. The Panelists are surveyed annually to gauge the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

a. Given to keeping one's thoughts and activities unknown to others; secretive:"Scrooge ... was secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster"(Charles Dickens).

b. Not revealing a secret or not given to revealing secrets:"She boasted ... that he did tell her. But he didn't. He was secret as the grave"(Ruth Prawer Jhabvala).

3.

a. Operating in a hidden or confidential manner:a secret commission; a secret agent.

b. Containing information, the unauthorized disclosure of which poses a grave threat to national security.

4. Not much visited; secluded:a secret hiding place.

5.

a. Known or shared only by the initiated:secret rites.

b. Beyond ordinary understanding; mysterious:"like Pan, calling out with his flute to come join in on the secret chaos of the world"(Rick Bass).

n.

1. Something that is kept out of the knowledge or sight of others or is known only to oneself or a few:wanted to have no secrets between them.

2. Something that remains beyond understanding or explanation; a mystery:unlocking the secrets of the atom.

3. A method or formula for doing or making something well, especially when not widely known:The secret of this dish is in the sauce.

4. SecretA variable prayer said after the Offertory and before the Preface in the Mass.

Idiom:

in secret

Without others knowing.

[Middle English, fromOld French, fromLatinsēcrētus, from past participle ofsēcernere, to set aside : sē-, apart; see s(w)e- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + cernere, to separate; see krei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

secret·lyadv.

Synonyms: secret, stealthy, covert, clandestine, furtive, surreptitious, underhandedThese adjectives mean deliberately hidden from view or knowledge. Secret is the most general:The desk has a secret compartment. The spies conduct secret negotiations.Stealthy suggests quiet, cautious deceptiveness intended to escape notice:"The males of each community formed temporary parties that regularly patrolled their borders and sometimes made stealthy incursions into the territory of their neighbors"(Jane Goodall).Covert describes something that is concealed or disguised:Students protested the covert actions undertaken by the CIA.Clandestine implies stealth and secrecy for the concealment of an often illegal or improper purpose:"The gold was becoming so routine that he'd stopped being clandestine about it"(Jennifer Egan).Furtive suggests the slyness, shiftiness, and evasiveness of a thief:I took a furtive glance at the papers on the desk.Something surreptitious is stealthy, furtive, and often unseemly or unethical:"She takes surreptitious sips from a flask in her bag as she waits in the cold"(Mary V. Dearborn).Underhand implies unfairness, deceit, or slyness as well as secrecy:The politician achieved success by underhand methods.